Dayton man convicted of heroin trafficking

GALLIPOLIS — A Dayton man arrested in October of last year for possession of nearly 100 grams of heroin was recently convicted of the first-degree felonies of possession and trafficking of heroin.

David Hudson, 25, originally pleaded no contest to the charges. He faces between three to 11 years in prison at a sentencing proceeding Sept. 26 at 9:30 a.m.

According to Gallia Prosecutor Jason Holdren, Hudson and his passenger Andraya Washington, 23, were pulled over for reported traffic violations on Oct. 14, 2016. Neither could produce legally applicable licenses. Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Matt Atwood separated the pair and reportedly asked them a series of questions regarding their destination. The pair’s stories supposedly conflicted in their answers to law enforcement.

Holdren said Hudson told the trooper he and Washington were headed to a nonexistent Red Roof Inn in Gallipolis and were then going to go play a round of paintball for a birthday. Washington could not explain why the pair were headed into Gallipolis. Eventually, 98.967 grams of heroin were discovered beneath a seat in the vehicle. Field weight of the drugs were around 101 grams. The prosecutor said the street value of the drugs was roughly $30,000

“We said (the heroin had) $30,000 street value and we get there by a dosage unit typically being a tenth of a gram,” said Holdren. “Now, for $30 a tenth, if you’re looking at 10 dosage units per gram and you’ve got shy of 100, then you have (roughly) 1000 doses of heroin that were taken off the street by this traffic stop.”

According to Holdren, moisture changes could account for the loss in weight as well as separating the substances from the baggies they were placed in.

Washington was previously convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison with no previous law violations in May after a jury trial. Had the heroin been above at or above 100 grams in measurement, it would have labeled both individuals as major drug offenders with a minimum mandatory sentence of 11 years in prison.

The prosecutor said Hudson eventually admitted to law enforcement that he had trafficked heroin previously 15 times between Dayton and Gallia County.

“From what we learned, there were people waiting at a residence on State Route 7 ready to buy the product,” said Holdren previously.

“This conviction is consistent with the aggressive approach that we are taking to those who are dealing and running drugs in and through Gallia County,” said Holdren.